\n\tEdmonton engineering students are giving trash a new life in the local economy.<\/p>\n
\n\tLevel 7 Plastics, a plastic recycling and manufacturing initiative led by student engineers at the University of Alberta campus, is taking action against plastic pollution.<\/p>\n
\n\tThe facility and all its machines was created entirely by engineering students like co-founder Connor Povoledo.<\/p>\n
\n\tThe initiative aims to highlight the benefits of domestic recycling, which cuts down on the environmental and financial costs of shipping plastics to recycling facilities in other countries.<\/p>\n
\n\tCreated in 2019, it’s come a long way from its humble beginnings.<\/p>\n
\n\t“Like any cool idea, we started in a garage,” Povoledo said.<\/p>\n
\n\tAfter building their machines from scratch, Povolado and his friends relocated to a larger space in Sturgeon County before finding a new home on campus.<\/p>\n
\n\tAt its core, Level 7 aims to inspire others to take action, and Povoledo said he hopes to share the project with other universities interested in starting their own recycling facilities.<\/p>\n
\n\t“I’m sort of driven towards this project out of a sentiment of responsibility and duty to the community more than I am for any other reason,” Povoledo said.<\/p>\n
\n\tThe plastic is collected from local sources, including the Edmonton Waste Management Centre, and brought to the lab where it’s shredded, melted and made into other products.<\/p>\n
\n\tThe recycled items are sold online at the Level 7 Plastics website.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\t“Our goal is to hit a point to break even so we’re not just begging the university to fund us every year,” Povoledo said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\tWith files from CTV News Edmonton’s Nav Sangha<\/p>\n